Paradigm Shift
by erederiu
Summary: Summary: Destroying the Reality Gauntlet, in Danny's mind, was the best way prevent the abuse of its powers. However, he didn't know that the Gauntlet was not just an Artifact, it was also a prison to the most powerful being in both worlds. Now he, his friends and family and all their allies must stop the crazed Weaver of Space before catastrophe befalls both worlds. AU
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01: Prologue

**_Amity Park: Fenton Works_**

**_6:00 P.M  
_**  
"All right, time to finish this..."

These words had just left the raven-haired youth known as Danny Fenton's mouth as he contemplated the ornate gauntlet that adorned his right arm. The Reality Gauntlet, which he just acquired from the former owner of Circus Gothica, Frederick Isak Showenhower (Freakshow for short), was an ancient artifact of terrifying power that allowed its wielder to alter the very fabric of space at his/her leisure using a set of 4 gems.

As soon as he finished talking, two rings of energy passed through him as he assumed his ghost form, known throughout Amity Park, as the ghost boy Danny Phantom. As he flew into the sky, he could only think of the gauntlet with nothing but loathing.

How could he not, though? The wretched thing had nearly taken his family and friends, along with his friends' families as well, from him. Something so dangerous should have never been created and he was going to correct that right now.

Once Danny reached an adequate altitude, he flung the gauntlet in the air and unleashed his signature green ecto-ray, which immediately shattered the Reality Gauntlet into pieces. Relief and a sense of accomplishment washed over him as he shielded his head from the debris and flew away, ignoring his father's threats while dodging the shots from his Ecto-Gun and flying away into the horizon.

( Play song: Mortal Sin from Fullmetal Alchemist: brotherhood )

However Danny and his friends Tucker and Sam didn't notice that, instead of clearing up, the smoke resulting from the Gauntlet's destruction wasn't clearing up. Instead it began whirling in the air, getting darker and thicker. The shards of the gems of life, form and fantasy, along with the power source levitated into the small vortex of black smoke, melting inside it. The vortex turned into a sphere before darting towards the Amity Park Cathedral as a beam of pitch-black ectoplasm.

* * *

**_Ghost Zone: Time's Keep_**

**_2 months Later  
_**  
(Play song: Sealed Sanctuary from Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters Coliseum)

"That shall be all for today, Make sure to check on the Gauntlet before ending your duties for the day. Also, take the Thermos with you, just in case."

A Ghost with its head shaped like an eye, an Observant, stated with no small amount of authority and arrogance.

"Understood." Answered an elderly ghost wearing a purple hood and carrying a staff with a clock at its head before turning into a child version of itself.

Dealing with the Observants, in the Master of Time, Clockwork's mind, was exhausting. Despite being the order in the Ghost Zone and being the only ghosts beside himself to have foresight, they never lifted a finger in its defense, instead having him do all the work of containing any potential threats to both worlds before they caused any irreversible damage.

He once had help on his duty, his counterpart, The Weaver of Space, was the one to "dispose" of the potential threats, who Clockwork was in charge of pinpointing, doing it with no small amount of efficiency. Unfortunately, he had a short temper regarding the "Sodding Eyeballs", as he nicknamed the Observants, and for trying to overthrow them, was sentenced to imprisonment inside a gauntlet for all of eternity.

" You know Clockwork, i still wonder why do you put up with those weaklings. If it were me, i'd have already turned them into ectoplasmic goo and be done with it" A mocking voice echoed through the keep. Normally it would have terrified anything that came to hear it, but Clockwork had already grown used to it in the last thirteen months.

The taunting reply came from a worn Thermos which stood inside a cell of the keep. Inside it was one of the many future versions of Danny Phantom, this one in particular had nearly destroyed all of the human world and was more feared in the ghost zone than Pariah Dark himself in his timeline. Fortunately his younger self had been able to defeat him, although nearly dying in the process, and trapping the full-ghost into that same Thermos.

"The last one who tried was imprisoned inside a gauntlet, Phantom. And believe me when i say he could beat both you and young Danny at the same time without barely a scratch. Besides, i don't want to end up as them. Positions of power are distracting and my job requires me to stay vigilant." Clockwork replied while adjusting his his staff, changing into his adult version.

Phantom's reply was a snort and a mumbled "ridiculous."

"Well, look at the time. I believe we should get going. After all, considering what that Gauntlet can do in the wrong hands, we can't afford to waste too much time."

That was Clockwork's, now back his aged form, final response before grabbing the battered Fenton Thermos and teleporting to the resting place of the Reality Gauntlet.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 02: The Weaver of Space  
_**5:42 P.M.**_

_** Desert Road**_

Never before had Cardinal Eustace Simpson dealt with such odd circumstances. Of all churches he personally oversaw, Amity Park's cathedral was the most troublesome of them. All of the citizens of the small city either paid heed to the word of the Lord or at least had enough common sense to respect a place of worship.

Unfortunately, there was, of all things, a literal GHOST infestation in the city had made the most pious believers afraid enough to request a blessing from the Vatican itself. Well, that and he had a soft spot for the city. After all, it was there that he first heard the calling of the Lord.

There was also the fact that people have been disappearing near the cathedral during the last two months, which unnerved the elder priest.

"Your Excellency, we will arrive in Amity in two hours." Said the driver

"Thank you." Answered the cardinal in that charismatic and comforting voice only he could pull off

As the car neared Amity Park, he couldn't help but shake at the uneasy feeling that overtook him. What was truly happening in that city?

* * *

_**Amity Park: Aerial space**_

_** 5:45 P.M.**_

"Sometimes i'd like to know, why don't you guys just give up? I mean, I'm obviously too much for you to handle." Taunted Danny as he dodged yet another missile salvo from Skulker as well as a sound wave, courtesy of Ember.

"Because my walls are in dire need of decoration and your pelt is sure to do the job, whelp!" Replied the Ghost Zone's "greatest" hunter as he kept shooting, missing every time due to the ghost boy's superior mobility.

"And even though I find that disgusting, getting rid of you is too good to pass off, dipstick." Added a smirking Ember. After a quick tuning of her prized guitar, the ghost diva decided to use a more widespread shockwave, which was parried by a ghost shield.

Danny sighed and decided to get on the offensive. After dodging a net (fourth one in the fight), he began firing ecto-rays at Skulker, who dodged all but one that hit him square in the chest, stunning him and allowing Danny to land some hits on the stunned hunter. Weakened by the sudden punches and kicks, Skulker fell to the ground and was swiftly trapped in the Fenton thermos by Tucker.

He then turned to the female ghost, who had just finished facepalming and said with a confident smirk "So Ember, want to keep your dignity and go back to the Ghost Zone now or keep fighting and get trapped in the Thermos to keep Skulker company?"

"Keep Dreaming, Brat!" She shouted and began firing multiple concentrated shockwaves in the form of giant punches from her guitar...

...Only for the halfa to dodge them all and snatch the guitar from her hands, earning him a furious glare and an angry ghost charging at him, killing intent in her eyes. "I wonder what will happen if I do this" He tuned the guitar and used the widespread wave, which hit the charging Ember at point-blank, knocking her unconscious and allowing Tucker to catch her and her thrown guitar with the thermos.

After going into an alley to transform back, Danny walked back to his best friend, sporting a frustrated look on his face on the way.

" Gosh are they persist-" Danny's rant was interrupted by a call on his cell phone. It was Sam, his other best friend.

"Hey Sam, how's it going?"

"No time,Danny. I'll be staying in your house tonight. I'm already on my way and i'm calling to tell you to warn your parents." answered Sam in a rushed and angry voice.

"What?! Sam, i think this is too sudden! I-"

"Sorry Danny, but my parents are driving me crazy because of that cardinal's visit and i swear: if i see ANOTHER pink dress in front of me, i'm gonna make them chew it!" interrupted an angry Samantha. At this point everyone in town knew about Cardinal Simpson's visit and Sam's parents were insisting that she look "presentable", much to her chagrin.

Knowing that at this point refusing would only get him more trouble, he answered. "Alright, me and Tucker will be there soon. Until later."

After ending the call, he turned and asked the techno-geek. "So, wanna stay at my place for the night? Sam forced me to help her avoid her parents. Again." he concluded with a sigh

"Meh, why not, mom and dad are going on a "dinner for two" tonight anyway. I'll just grab some stuff back home and tell them." he answered.

"Thanks, Tuck." Danny thanked his friend with a smile. In truth he was glad to host his two friends for the night, something they haven't done since the accident with the Ghost king one year ago. At least he was sure to have a rest tonight since it appeared that all ghosts were laying low and so was Vlad.

Well, at least it was going to be a good night.

* * *

**_Ghost Zone: Hunter's Island_**

**_ Unknown time_**

" Damn. That. Stupid. Brat! How dare he say he's better than me?!" Was all the sound one could hear in Skulker's lair as an angry rock star specter was nearly destroying the punching bag of the underground training room, accentuating every word with a punch. At that point, even Skulker was afraid to intervene with the now-pissed-beyond-belief Ember McLain.

"Well, that's new. My baby sissy trying to vent her anger at something that isn't sapient. "

If Ember was pissed off before, now she was downright furious at the sound of the other female voice, she turned to meet the owner of the voice, who materialized in a surge of liquid ectoplasm. In a whisper of barely contained fury, she whispered "why are you here, Sirena?"

(Play song: Queen of Rose from Blazblue (Alter Memory arrangement))

The ghost lady, unlike Ember, was dressed in a long silk dress complimented with a golden necklace with a ruby embedded into it. But what really drew attention to her was her blue hair, which was translucent in the back, much like ember's own fiery ponytail.

"Why, can't i pay my little sister a visit? Besides, i heard that you've been having trouble with the so-called halfa. I have yet to meet him, but from what I've seen, he doesn't seem like much." she answered with a condescending smile resembling a high-class lady.

"Yeah, like you're one to talk. I bet you can't even fight in that toga of yours." Ember replied raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, is that a challenge? Must i remind you that i have always proven you wrong in this regard, sissy? And at least i don't look like a delinquent." Sirena's retort made Ember try a kick against her elder sister-

-Only to hit a wall of water that appeared right in front of Sirena, who quickly counterattacked with a voice attack that sent the ghost rock diva against the solid rock wall.

(End song)

" Now that was rude. At least when you were alive you had some manners. I'll be taking my leave now. By the way, i suggest that you go to the Human World tomorrow, there will be a special performance in Amity Park, courtesy of Sirena McLain!" The smile returned as The Ghost Prima Donna mocked her younger sibling, disappearing in a burst of water after the pompous announcement.

* * *

**_Amity Park's Cathedral_**

**_ 9:37 P.M_**

" Are you sure about this, Father Simpson?" Asked the driver. After checking in a hotel, the cardinal decided to visit his former pupil in the cathedral.

"I understand your concern, son. But everything will turn out perfectly fine. I just need to check a few things with father Williams and we will go back to the hotel." Answered the elder priest.

"If you say so, sir..." The driver said with some apprehension. At least 27 people have disappeared near the church at night during the last two months. As the cardinal walked out of the limo, the younger man opened the huge wooden doors of the cathedral-

(Play Song: Catacombe from Bible Black)

-Only to be met with something they never thought would be in a church.

The inside was completely dark, save from a yellow light coming from a staircase below the altar. The only sounds were screams coming from that same staircase.

Normally, one would be too afraid to proceed, but the cardinal was worried. The screams seemed so familiar. No, it couldn't be...

"Father, wait!" the driver's plead fell on deaf ears as the older man was now running right into the staircase. Once the older priest was no longer there, the driver transformed into a sphere of black energy and followed him

As the cardinal was running down the stairs, his thoughts were completely focused on his former pupil as he headed towards the yellow light. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs he was met with a sight that nearly gave him a heart attack.

The underground room was just as big as the cathedral itself and was surrounded by water (save for the center) and lit by six luminous swords, each stuck in one of six altars surrounding an immense magical circle.

And in the center of the circle was Father Williams, suspended in the air by yellow glowing chains that sprung from nowhere and bleeding from a wound inflicted by an obsidian dagger that was still stuck in his chest.

"Well, this was unexpected. One would think that, with all the people disappearing near this place, the elderly would at least have the common sense of avoiding this place..." Contemplated a voice that appeared to be nearby.

When he turned around, Cardinal Simpson was gazing into a being who was completely made of black smoke. The figure was shaped like a 17-year boy with wild and edgy hair. The thing was leaning on the entrance, staring at the cardinal with an amused expression, yellow eyes completely fixated on the elderly man.

After what seemed like an eternity, the creature broke eye contact and casually said "Just a moment, your excellency." and lazily extended his hand. At that moment, the dagger stuck in the younger priest was removed from his chest and darted towards its owner, who promptly absorbed it into his being, a bored expression adorning his face.

"What are you?" the cardinal was on the verge of lunging at the thing.

"Oh dear, where are my manners? I am Abel, the Weaver of Space. I could go on but it seems you are not in the mood for talk." He answered with clearly false concern in his voice.

"What did you do to Williams?" Eustace asked, anger and fear twisting his usually calm features as he reach into his robes and grabbed a golden cross adorned with various gems, the Cross of Helena. The Cross of Helena was a golden cross that contained one of the three nails that pierced Christ's flesh during his Crucifixion.

"Oh, him? I just sucked his life force into me. The young father Williams has been a thorn in my side for far too long and I believe such nuisances must be put down, wouldn't you agree? "Abel replied in the same tone as if discussing dinner for the night.

"You'll pay for that. Vanish, you DEMON!" The cardinal pointed the cross at the "demon" and it began shining. The exorcising light of the cross soon covered the entire room and father Simpson closed his eyes, certain that the evil has been destroyed by the holy light-

-Only to open them and realize that the creature was still there, completely unscathed and eyes glaring at the elder with barely contained rage.

(End song)

( Play Song: A Sacrifice from Final Fantasy VIII)

"You really thought that would work? "The figure, apparently a ghost, began walking forward, glaring at the cardinal as he stepped back in fear. The cross had never failed him before, which was why he had brought it in the first place.

Never in all of his 74 years had Eustace Simpson been so terrified. Oh, he had taken part in quite a number of exorcisms in his lifetime and seen many forms of demons. But that thing was not only able to survive the holy light, but also emerge from it completely unharmed.

"You humans never learn, do you? You think that prayer will save you from any harm. And yet, even if you ARE hurt, you still think that your so-called deities will come to your aid. I am starting to think stupidity is something inherent to all of you." The entity kept talking in a monotone tone even after having cornered the priest, a great amount of scorn and hatred visible in its glowing yellow irises, which were completely focused on the old man.

Said man had dropped the cross, fear twisting his features. And as soon as it hit the floor, the entity raised its hand, now glowing with yellow energy and uttered "I should kill you for daring to attack me, but first let us take care of that poor excuse for a weapon". Then, out of thin air, a glowing object with two crystals, one on each end, and with a split ring with sharp ends around the center appeared above both their heads, aimed at the cross, and fired a beam of black light at it, completely disintegrating it as the cardinal watched with a mix of terror and disbelief.

"See? I didn't even use that much power and that trinket of yours was still easy to destroy. Where is your faith in "god" now, Father?" The thing sneered.

"It's something that monsters like you could never understand. No matter what, God will always be there for his children, even in the direst times. You may have destroyed the cross, but it only means you're a more powerful demon than the rest of your brethren. Nothing more." The monster's rant sparked the cardinal's anger, something no one had been able to do in years.

"Ok, this little monologue was incredibly annoying. It's about time i put you out of your misery, gramps" the cardinal suddenly turned to see Father Williams, unscathed and very much alive, a bored look on his face.

"Williams! What-" Eustace was interrupted by three tentacles with sharp ends piercing his own chest. What got the priest baffled was that it sprouted from within Williams' sleeve.

"Good night, your excellency." the younger priest said in a mocking tone, a wicked smirk plastered in his face. The cardinal's dead body was healed by the ghost, who quickly overshadowed it.

"Where to next, boss?" asked father Williams, still smirking.

"I'm guessing Cain hid the World Ring somewhere in Italy. So our first stop will probably be the Vatican. Ugh, I absolutely hate having to use such an ugly body. But alas, I guess the ends justify the means or something along those lines." Answered Abel, his voice sporting the same inflection as a child who was being forced to wear clothes he didn't like but resigned himself anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Ghost Killed?!

_**Fenton Works: Danny's Room**_

_**8:13 P.M**_

It had surely been a long time since Danny had a chance to relax. Of course, it was understandable considering most of the time he was either struggling to keep up at school or risking his own life fighting ghosts to keep Amity Park and all those he cared about safe from ghosts (which basically plunged his grades down the toilet).

Now, however, he was finally allowed a break and decided to go along with Sam's ploy to keep away from her "lovely" family, who was hell-bent in dressing her properly so that they could drag her along without compromising their "Perfect Family" status.

Since his parents were planning on going to the cathedral tomorrow so that they could witness how Cardinal Simpson would address the people regarding the ghosts in Amity and Tucker and Sam's parents would most likely be there, they allowed the two other teens to spend the night there.

Currently, all of them were in the halfa's room playing "DOOM", each using their own laptop. That was one of the things Danny missed doing with his friends ever since he got his powers and begun fighting ghosts during the night, losing nearly all of his free time and sleep, which greatly affected his grades.

"So, what do you guys think that Simpson guy is going to do?" asked Tucker without even looking up from his laptop.

"Probably it will just be a normal mass. He's probably going to just give his blessings and leave." Danny answered in a bored tone and turned back to his screen, which indicated he had just obtained some items from defeated enemies. "What do you think, Sam?" he asked his other friend who was currently upgrading her character.

"I couldn't care less, to be honest. I only wish my parents wouldn't make such a fuss about it. Although, I think he will have to make a big announcement to calm the people after the disappearances that occurred near that cathedral." She replied looking up.

(_**Play Song: **__**Premonition **__**from Blazblue**_)

"Disappearances?" Interrupted a ginger-haired girl with a curious tone and expression but with a little bit of concern in her voice. Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton could be described as a complete skeptic, not believing anything without proof. However, after discovering her younger brother's dual nature, she began paying attention to rumors.

"You haven't heard, Jazz? 37 people went missing near the cathedral during the last two months. From what the police gathered, most of them were between 17 and 20 and disappeared between eight and midnight." Replied Danny, closing the game and turning to meet his sister's gaze. Soon Tucker and Sam followed suit and all of them soon were sitting or leaning somewhere in the room.

"Have you noticed anything during the patrol, Danny?" Sam inquired dead-serious.

"Nothing. I've tried lurking around while invisible, but nothing happened. The weird thing is: whenever I come close to the cathedral, I feel really sick but my ghost sense doesn't trigger. Also the priest usually is doing his night prayers around that time and he seems hesitant to leave the church at night, so he's probably not involved. But I can say this: whoever's behind this, human or ghost, is making sure I can't follow their tracks." Danny contemplated.

"So we can assume that the culprit has at least some information on your powers and acknowledges you as a threat. The only thing that I'd like to know is why the responsible for this chose the cathedral as their main area of action." Jazz mused, a thoughtful look on her face.

Tucker soon got up and said in a dismissive tone "I think we should let the police handle it. If Danny can't sense it, it's probably human. Which means it's none of our business. Now, who's up for a round of Crash Nebula: Star Racers?"

Soon all of them were sitting on the floor, controllers in hand, playing the suggested game. Jazz, on the other hand looked at Danny with worry. True, he was strong and the fact that he was using his powers for the sake of others at such an age was admirable, but all that burden and the fact that he was only 16, which translated into a rather frail psyche, meant it was not healthy and would crush him should he be careless. Looking out the window, she thought to herself_: "_please not another ghost problem, we have enough to deal with already as it is."

If only she knew how much…

_**The next day**_

_**Amity Park Cathedral: Underground Hall**_

_**7:30 A.M**_

(_**Succession of Witches**_ from _Final Fantasy VIII_)

It still baffled Abel how people were willing to listen to all this nonsense. Truly he had underestimated Williams' mastery of the rhetoric when it came to writing the speech that was on his, or rather Cardinal Simpson's hands, but the fact that so many people fell for such gibberish was still astonishing.

"I'm guessing you're going to need privacy to rehearse, so I'll be going upstairs" said priest was currently dismembering a statue using the same black tendrils use to kill his former teacher. This time however, it was clear that they sprouted from a black three-piece suit he was wearing beneath his robes.

That provoked a laugh out of the Weaver of Space who turned to meet the brown eyes of his accomplice, a smug grin in his face. "While I do appreciate the concern, memorizing something as small as this is child's play for me so no need to fret, my dear pet." He answered.

"Well excuse me, Mr. Genius. By the way, loved the wrinkles. They SO suit you." The mocking reply made Abel twitch.

"You are VERY fortunate I don't have time nor patience to properly punish you. Else, you would be literally swallowing your words with no salt, Williams. Also, is my gift suitable enough for you?" He answered while shooting his accomplice a killing glare. At its mention, the priest's coat spawned a set of ten sharp appendages as black as the night but riddled with yellow vein-like lines which retreated back into the black suit after a few seconds.

Williams' joyful expression at that moment could make the devil himself shiver at how utterly sadistic it was and it surely sent a slight shiver down Abel's borrowed spine. "Well, let's just say this was the best present I've ever gotten in my entire life!" the joy at that statement was made painfully obvious by the way the priest contemplated the coat.

With a sigh, Abel raised his, or rather the possessed corpse's, hand and opened the door leading to the stairway to the altar before turning to the statues and, with a single snap of his fingers, fixing all of them before addressing the priest, a mildly disgusted expression engraved upon the old features of the late Cardinal Simpson.

"I am quite aware of your anxiety to test it in something that feels pain, believe me. But we have to make sure not to arouse any more suspicion, especially since we were being watched for the last three days. Now let's rehearse this one more time." The Weaver said while before turning his attention back to the paper sheet in his hands. The blond priest only rolled his eyes before sitting back on a chair that, as usual when involving his "boss", appeared out of nowhere.

_**Amity Park Cathedral**_

_**11:00 A.M**_

"…Amen" That was the final word of the cardinal before stepping down from the altar, signifying the end of the mass, much to the teens' joy. It was the first time a guess from Danny, of all people, turned out to be right. While the cardinal DID address the disappearances, it was only prayers for their safety.

After the ceremony and a long rant from the Mansons, the trio was now sitting on the cathedral's stairway, apparently bored out of their minds while the Fentons discussed with the Mansons and the Foleys. Tucker was the first one to speak. "I'm guessing you two are just as bored as I am, right?" he said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.

"Yup" both Danny and Sam replied, equally unamused. Danny, however, was visibly uncomfortable and was holding his head with his left hand, a grimace slowly forming in his face.

"Are you OK man? You look like you just took a LOT of sleep pills at once…" Tucker asked, concern clearly evident in both his voice and expression. Sam and the newly-arrived Jazz were also staring at him, which was making the half-ghost feel even more uncomfortable.

"It's just a headache guys, really. Nothing serious." He replied with a tired smile which even a blind man could see through, only to start clenching his head even harder one second later. At the same time, the teens heard footsteps coming from the upper end of the staircase. A young man in white, simple robes and an elder in much more elaborate red robes were staring at them with concerned looks.

"Is something the matter, young lad? I noticed you looked awfully distressed during the mass." The cardinal pointed out, yellow eyes gazing at the trio below, more specifically at Danny with an unreadable expression. Father Williams, on the other hand, was checking his pocket watch, paying no attention to the exchange.

"Everything is fine, Your Grace. Danny is just a little tired. Right, Danny?" Jazz stated in her brother's place. He only nodded, the pain being too strong to think coherently. At that, the man of the cloth only raised an eyebrow.

"At any rate, we should be going, Your Grace. Your plane will arrive in 7 hours and the airport is 4 hours from here." The blond priest warned while putting a hand on the cardinal's shoulder. The older priest nodded and, after a quick glance at the black-haired teen, followed Father Williams back into the cathedral.

"Danny! Jazz! Time to go!" No sooner than the priests entered the cathedral, the Fenton RV had parked next to them with the Fenton matriarch, Maddie Fenton, calling her children in an enthusiastic tone.

"Coming, mom." Danny replied with a tired look on his face. Whatever was happening in that church was making him feel really sick, which brought forth the stressed out part of him that had been dormant ever since the Reality Gauntlet Incident. Waving his friends a fast goodbye, he and Jazz entered the Assault Vehicle

As soon as both children fastened their three sets of seat belts (an insistence of both Maddie and Jazz which, considering how Jack was behind the wheel, was completely reasonable), Jack immediately started the engine and took off, the recoil forcing all passengers against their seats.

"Dad, tell me something: HOW do you still have a driver's license?" Danny asked in a grumpy voice, but now feeling slightly better from the mass episode.

"No idea" both Jazz and Maddie deadpanned. Even though Jack always drove like a maniac, he had never, EVER, been stopped by the police or even gotten a ticket. All of them, save for the ghost hunter in question, assumed that it was because the traffic officers were too scared to even try, but they could never stop wondering about it.

Ignoring the question, Jack began speaking (nearly crashing into three lamp posts and narrowly avoiding an old lady and her dog because of the distraction) with the usual child-like enthusiasm: "Kids, today is a great day for the Fentons. Yesterday, we've gotten a HUGE order of Specter Deflectors from the Guys in White! Our genius has finally been recognized by the government! Take that, skeptic academia!" he finished in triumph with a shake of his fist.

"And since the income is going to be big, and I mean REALLY big, we can finally begin renovations on the lab and buy new furniture to the rooms!" Their mother cut in with an equally excited smile.

"Really?!" both teens exclaimed in joy, Danny's mood finally lifting at the announcement. Truth be told, while their rooms were not bad, the lack of income that came with their parents' "jobs" was not enough to afford a renovation, which the rooms could really use.

But as it always was bound to happen, Danny's rare moments of joyful thinking were interrupted since his Ghost sense activated at that exact moment. _"Sometimes I wish I didn't have ghost powers." _He thought and looked at Jazz, who immediately took his cue and shouted: "GHOST!". That, as usual, immediately drew the attention of the adults.

"WHERE?!" The older couple shouted simultaneously. As soon as the Fenton RV stopped (knocking down a mailbox in the process), both ghost hunters left the car, ecto-guns in hand and ready to shoot anything floating, green and glowing. Danny immediately took the chance and phased out of his seat and, after transforming, immediately took flight, being careful not to be spotted by his parents.

As for Jazz, she just met her parents' reaction with a snicker and said: "Sorry, it was probably just a bird or something." As the hunters went back to the Assault Vehicle with a face that could put even a puppy to shame, she watched as her brother flew away and then directing her attention to the sad faces of her parents settling back into the RV. Truth be told, even though she knew it was wrong to do bait her parents like that, she still took quite a measure of guilty pleasure in tricking them when covering for Danny.

_**Amity Park: The Theater **_

_**11: 35 A.M.**_

Despite Vlad's various attempts to buy the old building (so that he could replace it with a Parking Lot) the theater still stood tall thanks to the efforts of Amity's older citizens lead by Sam's grandma and was currently undergoing renovations. While not a regular customer, Danny had watched his share of plays when he was younger (some of the few times his parents didn't cause a scandal because of ghosts).

While the memories were not that recent, he was pretty sure the interior wasn't flooded once he phased through the entrance. "Well, someone didn't close the taps before leaving…" the halfa said to himself, put off by the fact that the water was already covering quite a bit of the entrance hall.

Floating around, the human-ghost hybrid's ears picked the sound of music, opera to be accurate. Apparently it was coming from the main stage room, a little further inside the building. Gliding towards it and turning himself intangible to avoid some of the wooden beams sustaining the hallways he was now floating in front of the door, turning his legs into a ghostly tail to avoid the water on the ground.

"_Great. Just great. Facing a water ghost when I'm already feeling sick. Another day in the life of Danny Fenton" _He thought to himself with a frown and pushed the doors open.

The main room was quickly filling with water coming from below the stage and from the door, which went completely unnoticed by the elderly crowd, completely fixated on the stage and the first row already waist-deep on water. And the stage stood a glowing woman wearing a long sleeveless white silk dress, who was the source of the song he heard on the way inside. Upon further inspection, Danny noticed that here hair was translucent and blue, as if it was made of water, something that only confirmed who the ghost he felt earlier was.

"_Why aren't they leaving? This place is filling up and they barely even mo- Of course! She's singing to hypnotize them and keep them on the seats!" _he realized, noticing that the ghostly maiden didn't even acknowledge him due to her eyes being closed. "Sorry folks, but the show's over." Danny quipped and took aim with his finger, firing a small bolt of ectoplasm at the other ghost, who immediately sidestepped it and glared at the ghost boy, distaste clear in her features.

A simple "boo" from the halfa was all it took for the old men and women to flee the room screaming in panic and leave both specters alone in the flooded stage. As soon as the last man left the room, he turned his attention to the ghost on the stage who apparently found her nails a much more interesting sight than her opponent.

She was, surprisingly, the one to break the silence that ensued immediately after the room was "evacuated". "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a play at its climax, young man?" she scolded while dusting herself off. To that, Danny just raised his one of his eyebrows, obviously not amused.

"Okay, you flooded a theater, tried to DROWN a room full of old people and you're scolding me for interrupting your song. Sorry, but I don't think you have your priorities right, lady." The reply was dripping sarcasm, which only made the other ghost huff, turn sideways and respond in that indignant way so befitting the opera Prima Donna stereotype that it would put even La Carlotta to shame "Hmph, they should be grateful I gave up my precious time to sing for them at such a cheap price! Their lives are not even close to the value of my angelic voice."

"And this month's Froot Loop award, ladies and gentlemen, goes to… What's your name again?" Danny asked mid-quip after realizing he didn't know who he was mocking, scratching his head in embarrassment and confusion.

"Sirena McLain, the most talented diva in all of the Ghost Zone, and certainly NOT happy to make your acquaintance after you interrupted my Crescendo, Ghost Boy." The ghost known as Sirena said distastefully and looking sideways to her soon-to-be opponent, bearing no emotion on her visage save disdain.

"Let me guess… you're Ember's cousin or something?" Danny countered with a semblance of total and absolute boredom. _"As if One music-related ghost wasn't enough…"_ the Halfa complained mentally.

"Sister, if you must know, but enough chit-chat, time for me to teach you a lesson in manners and, of course, talent, dipstick" Sirena declared as her water-like hair began dripping into the water below, making it glow slightly.

"You read my mind. Time to throw down, Sirena!" the rush of adrenaline was evident in the Halfa's smirk as he took his battle stance and charged towards the diva, who simply put a hand in her chest and prepared to sing again.

_**Nearby…**_

As the car moved swiftly through the clean streets of Amity Park, Priest Walter Williams couldn't stop the smile that was etching itself to his face. After years of yearning, a chance for him to finally show the world a bloodbath like no other was before him, and he would enjoy every single moment of it.

Ever since the specter that introduced himself as the so-called Weaver of Space entered the Cathedral, life was finally getting exciting in that hellhole (irony intended). For two months he got to hear lots of screams, saw the most beautiful anguish and despair in the faces of the 27 idiots who thought coming home late was a good idea and even got himself the perfect tool to produce the squeals he longed to hear as he imagined himself tearing his future victims apart limb from limb.

"if you could please stop your little reminiscing, I'd be very pleased to arrive in the airport with time to spare, Williams." Said Abel, his newest employer and the one who gave him the metaphorical golden ticket at the beginning of summer, his topaz-like eyes and slouching on the seat close to that meat-puppet of a cardinal not bothering to conceal the enormous amount of boredom and annoyance he was feeling at the moment.

"Personally, it's going to be hard Not thinking or saying anything about all the weird shit that happened in the last two months, boss. So, want a drink or something? I need to go to the toilet and there's a convenience store nearby - the hell?!" The priest abruptly stopped the car near the back of the Amity Park Theater, which apparently decided to experiment with lasers now, judging how one just went through the wall and nearly hit the vehicle.

Well, it would had the smoke shadow not countered the beam with one of his own, courtesy of one of the weird things he used to destroy the Cross of Helena, which was now floating right beside Abel. "Ok, I get they want to improve the special effects and what-not, but lasers? That's a bit TOO much" Williams responded while dusting himself, leaving the vehicle to inspect any potential damage done by the clash of green and black light, Abel following suit.

"That was no laser or whatever you call it. That was a beam of pure Ectoplasm, which means there's a conflict involving specters inside, and powerful ones at that considering I had to use a stronger blast to neutralize it…" The Weaver of Space replied with both tone and visage bearing a questioning intent, floating slightly above the ground and hand extended (well, two fingers anyway).

"Well, if it involves ghosts, it was probably Danny Phantom's work. That ghost kid apparently has a need to cause property damage whenever he fights." Williams commented offhandedly after checking the engine, which showed no signs of damage. However he kept from entering the car after receiving a questioning glance from Abel.

"Danny Phantom, you say? And who might he be?" was the (obvious) question the psychopath was now obliged to answer, considering the smoke specter was now focusing his inquiring gaze at him.

"The local ghost celebrity and menace according to the mayor, who ironically does a better job of cleaning up the town than the local ghost hunters- you're going inside?!" he replied in a panicked tone after noticing far too late that his employer was already halfway phasing through the wall, blatantly ignoring the priest after the first sentence.

"Why, of course. If he is the local celebrity as you say, he's most likely the spy I felt during the last three days before attaining our rotten meat doll. It is only logical for me to evaluate a promising servant or potential nourishment." Abel was now throwing Williams a shoulder glance (which was still, hard to make out, considering the mass of thick smoke working as the messiest hairstyle in history blocked most of his facial features) and, oddly enough, _smirking._

"And they say Abel was the saintly brother… Kinda makes me wonder what his brother is like..." The priest said to no one as he shrugged and entered a small bakery nearby.

_**(Song: Finals/Finals' duel from Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories)**_

And here he comes" Sirena muttered to herself once she saw the ghost boy charging at her with a fist raised. _"Hmph. Child's play" _she thought as she clasped both her hands with a confident smirk plastered on her face. Before her opponent even reached the stage, he was literally clapped by two huge hands made of water and fell on the small pool formed on the first row.

A satisfied and very condescending smile was formed on her face as she sung a few low notes. As if on cue, the water immediately repelled the halfa as if he had fallen on a trampoline and a second hand, palm encased in ice, sprung forward and began pushing him against the ceiling, intending to crush the Ghost boy. The Diva smirked and said "Pressure is a drag to deal with, isn't it brat?"

As soon as she finished the sentence, the ice hand's palm touched the ceiling. Immediately Sirena urged it to her with her own hand. But the splatter of ectoplasm she was eagerly expecting to see was not there, which brought the first frown in the battle to her face.

No sooner than that, she was greeted with a punch to the gut and stumbled back. Unfortunately the next sound she was greeted with was an annoying teenager's voice mocking her. "Just so you know, that only works on bugs and I don't know about you but I don't see any extra limbs or wings or whatever on my jumpsuit". And there he was, floating above her and raising an eyebrow.

Danny on the other hand was actually feeling glad the female opera diva showed up. Since the mass earlier in the morning, the weird headache, along with little sleep were taking his toll on him. Now though, the headache was gone and he was feeling tense, but at least awake and truth be told, in need of a little bit of action.

"Cocky Twerp…" immediately after getting up, sirena pointed her finger at Danny and made a slicing motion. He was barely able to dodge the thin, but incredibly pressurized stream of water fired at him. Missing its target, the attack bisected nearly all the seats of the upper rows.

"So I'm guessing it's my turn now, right? So let's lighten the mood, ok?" he quipped and immediately flew up to the middle row and raised both his arms. In an instant, the gloves of his jumpsuit were glowing green as a sphere of the same color began forming between his hands. His opponent, apparently realizing what he was doing, immediately sent a flurry of water tendrils lashing out at him.

"Here goes" as the tentacles closed in, the Halfa (sporting a smirk) pointed the sphere at Sirena, firing a charged-up ghost ray at the diva. The whole place was illuminated by the green light as it effortlessly dispersed the tendrils. The alarmed ghost tried dodging, only to trip on her dress and fall on her rear in the most undignified way possible. Missing it's target, the beam pierced through the backstage wall, allowing a beam of sunlight to illuminate the main theater.

_**(end song)**_

_**(The Betrayal of Pegasus from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist of the Roses)**_

"THAT'S IT!" Sirena yelled as she got herself up after the shameful trip, liquid hair boiling and eyes screaming bloody murder to the floating teenager "No one, and I mean NO ONE makes a fool out of me like that and lives to tell the tale!" she yelled again, fury twisting her features into a horrifying visage. On his end, Danny could tell playtime was over, but couldn't stop himself from joking about the situation.

"well, you kinda deserved it… I mean, you almost killed 23 people for no good reason." He said as if scolding a 5-year old for breaking a jam pot. _"you just signed your death warrant, brat!"_ was written all over her head as she took a deep breath and her hair absorbed all water in the vicinity.

The halfa barely had time to register what happened as he was slammed at what was left of the top row by a powerful sound wave, apparently a result of the diva outright shrieking an incredibly high note, nearly as potent as one of his own Ghostly Wails. Slowly raising after the hit, headache back and pounding, Danny noticed the whole was increasing and that his opponent didn't relent her attack even when the cracking sounds began mixing with her singing.

As he tapped into his invisibility to flee, the awful feeling he fell victim to during the mass earlier returned ten times worse and he only had time to register a weird object phasing through the wall before falling unconscious and reverting into his human form as pieces of the ceiling began falling on him.

_"Ha! Told you I could beat him, Sissy!" _Sirena thought to herself as her voice hit its highest point, which was bringing the room down and the annoying fly of a half-ghost along with it. It was now only a matter of seconds before she emerged in triumph and returned to the Ghost Zone to rub it in her sister's face.

That was 1 minute ago… Before a myriad of white beams struck the debris coming for the halfa, courtesy of four weird objects with crystals on their ends that appeared out of thin air. After the display, the ceiling of the whole show house had an immense hole in it, allowing the whole middle row to be bathed in sunlight.

Now, she was on her knees, exhausted from the overused vocal blast and hydrokinesis, downright confused as Danny Phantom's human body was lifted into the air and the crystal turret-thingies appeared around the unconscious halfa.

_**( A Sacrifice from Final Fantasy VIII)**_

"how is this even possible? A being that exists as a human and as a spirit. That does explain this boy's intolerance to my own state of being" a mildly young voice mused in outright awe as the boy's body was taken into the strong black smoldering arms of (was that even a ghost?) something that resembled a 17 year-old boy with an athletic build, but made entirely of what appeared to be smoke and slightly fading.

"who the hell are you?" she was able to at least ask a question, but her voice still came off as weak and was ignored by the entity as it casually traced a finger over the incapacitated teen's shirt, which was torn as if the finger was a sharp blade.

"And such an exquisite body as well… oh the things I'd do to you if I had my old human body…" the creature's purring, coupled with the fact that it was tracing the boy's bare chest with its hand made the diva want to puke.

"I asked you a question, freak!" the weakened specter gathered herself and attempted a second vocal blast. Topaz-yellow eyes immediately locked on her and a finger was pointed at her. The attack didn't even leave her mouth when the adorned turrets fired their beams at her and knocked her on the floor.

now she regretted making the mysterious stranger notice her as it carefully laid the halfa's half naked body on the single intact seat on the room

As she began backing away, a gaze was enough to make Sirena freeze in fear as chains of yellow energy ensnared her form. She immediately tried phasing through them, but a surge of electricity stopped her immediately and prompted the smoke creature to walk towards her bound form. The amusement on its eyes made her feel like her own defilement was at hand.

" have I given you permission to leave, my dear?" her assailant cupped her face with a smoldering hand and roughly pulled it close, making her trapped form jerk forward. A smile filled to the brim with the same amusement was forming on its barely distinguishable features.

"Let go of me, you brute!" Sirena began thrashing weakly in the chains' grip, but her struggle was cut short as the chains tightened even more, forcing a yelp out of the deceased soprano.

The reaction caused the smoke figure to chuckle and it released her face and began walking circles around her and speaking in the same annoyingly giddy voice.

"I'm afraid I will not be able to comply, darling. Under any other circumstances I'd take my time and have a pleasant and drawn-out conversation with someone so stunning. As it stands, though…" His eyes narrowed and his sweet smile dissolved into pure and utter contempt as he pointed his open palm at the diva.

Sirena's eyes widened as the smoke composing the creature started to condense in his hand, forming an odd dagger at the palm.

"I have no time to waste talking to a mere nourishment" Sirena barely felt it when the sharp object was plunged into her chest.

"you idiot. You can't kill someone who's already-" the retort was stopped when the diva noticed her prized watery hair evaporating and, with a horrified gasp, looked down.

Horror struck her as she saw a steady helix of ominous green light being absorbed by the gem on the hilt of the weapon, making it glow the same horrid color. And at the same time, her body was withering at an incredibly fast rate, making her look outright ghastly.

Not a moment later, Sirena was released from the grip of the chains and fell to her knees. Immediately she rushed her hands to the hilt of the blade transfixed on her chest, but gasped when she noticed her whole body was horrendously emaciated. "What have you done to me?" The diva's voice was but a whisper when she inquired her attacker with nothing but absolute panic in her countenance, which was that of an old hag.

Abel simply stared as her shrieking form dissolved into nothingness, the dagger falling down to the ground with a slight clank. Immediately after the female ghost was vanquished, he picked it up and stared at the gem on the hilt, which was glowing a strong green light, with a surprised face.

" you surely exceeded my expectations, specter. This will be enough to keep me stable for at least a month!" He exclaimed and reabsorbed the dagger and jeweled turrets around him. As his form regained its previous consistence, the Weaver of Space turned to the fallen Halfa.

"And as for you…"

_**Author's note**_

_**I apologize for the delay. this chapter was especially hard to do since i've never written a fight scene (and a fanfic for that matter) before and i hope it suits your tastes.**_

_**also, regarding my characterization skills, i'd like to know if you guys think i'm handling canon and OCs alike in a satisfactory manner.**_

_**reviews would be really appreciated and WILL be taken into serious consideration.**_


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